#soft lures

So what are your options in making lures you may ask, there are two basically one using a hot melt material called Plastisol and my system using Superflex silicone rubber. The Plastisol material is basically printing ink used in screen printing and when crudely heated in a microwave it changes state from a milky liquid it goes to a water clear pourable liquid. Colours and glitters can be added before filling the moulds, sounds ideal but there are drawbacks one main one is fumes especially if you overcook it.

Suppliers of Plastisol advise using it in very well ventilated places, wearing a quality respirator, aprons and hot gloves to prevent burns. You need a dedicated microwave as it’s not recommended to use one you cook your food in, Pyrex jugs to heat it so as you can see some major down sides in using and starting up costs with Plastisol. The material is big in the USA and is used in the UK, it has very low tear strength unless hardeners are added and that effects how the lures perform BUT!! if you really must use Plastisol all my moulds are compatible as I do test pours with all designs to make sure they work with it so all is not bad.

How do I know so much about Plastisol well when I first decided to have a go at making my own lures for wrecking, drift fishing, Cod, Pollock and Bass I invested a lot of time and finances to make it work using Plastisol, watched a lot of video’s and gave it a good go but it wasn’t for me plus it gave me a bad chest for a while from the fumes even using an extractor hood in my workshop so it all got binned and I was back to square one.

It was by chance I tried something, the material used for making moulds RTV I used a release agent and filled one of the cavities and after a struggle I got it out of the mould and it produced quite a basic lure bit stiff, limited action but the concept worked. Only problem now the mould material is silicone rubber and the only material that sticks to it is yes silicone rubber so unless you aggressively apply a mould release like Vaseline or petroleum jelly you have a pot luck chance of getting your lures out without tearing the lure body or the mould face so not that practical really.

That’s the history lesson now comes the solution in how to use Silicone rubbers and successfully remove the lures from the moulds and create a lure with all the action of soft PVC but be more durable. I solved the mould issue in using a Polyurethane resin with my own fillers added for strength and heat absorption, mould development was via 3D Cad, 3D printer and hand moulding techniques. I have quite a large collection of moulds now and new are added all the time and there are no release issues plus they can be used in ovens up to 150c with recommended setting temps as low as 75/100c for most lures so tested to well in access of what is required.

With the moulds sorted the lure mix was developed taking silicone rubber adjusting it and getting the catchability and durability factor right and that is what I now use in my Superflex for general lure making and for the DIY anglers who want to make their own. For the DIY users the system is very simple and quick plus there are no fumes and is very safe to use so if you’re stuck for space in a workshop you can easily make your lures anywhere in your property and cost effective as there is no expensive plant or equipment needed.

I have a comprehensive how to do it video and I advise anyone to sit and watch that to make sure it’s going to be for them and get the feel for the system. If you look at the images below you will see the quickstart sequence and just how easy it is to use and make your own lures. Once you have all the key parts and your chosen mould/s identify the items so you know what is what all quite basic really.

A question I get asked regularly is how many lures will a 1kg or 500g of Superflex make ? well it’s down to the size of the lure you want for example a 10g lure you will make far more of them than an 18g lure. Once you have decided on the lure mould that will suit your angling needs you will see on the sales image it has information on the size and the weight of the finished lure so if it’s just that one lure you will be making then divide the container ie 500g by the lure weight say 10g and allow 10% for waste so it would yield 45 lures as example.

Making the lures is so easy providing you follow the basic guidelines, first job is to apply the mould release making sure all the mould surface in the cavity and on the mould top are coated. Weigh out the Superflex into the mixing pots and add the colour you want, colours are just basic oil paints and you don’t need much best to add it in stages to get the colour you want, you can always add more but you can’t take it out. For two or three colour pours set up each colour ready to be catalysed as you need them.

When you’re ready to pour the superflex into the moulds it’s time to add the catalyst to set it off, this is probably the part that can go wrong and it’s down to adding too much on most occasions and the pot life being greatly reduced to a point it can be gelling in the pot as you mix it so you don’t even get to pour it. Spend the time on this part and you won’t have issues.

Fill the mould don’t worry too much about overpour it’s easy to clean off surplus using the plastic scrapers provided, it’s worth using a wooden pick like a strong cocktail stick and run that up and down the contours of the mould just to agitate the mix to remove any trapped air. Once the mould is filled clean up round the edges with the scrapers so you get crisp lures and no after trimming required.

So that’s it you made your lure all you have to do is decide how much time you have to allow it to cure before you can de-mould, options are cold cure i.e. leave it at room temperature to set average 2 hours. Other option is to pop your filled mould into your oven (not microwave) at 75 – 100c for about 10 minutes and it will be ready to take out your lure, this is the best option if you want to make a few and if you have more than one mould in operation as soon as you have filled one pop it into the oven while you fill the others and rotate them, 10 mins can go quick when you’re preparing each mould. Point worth remembering cold moulds will need a little longer so test first batch to see they have set before removing them from the lures as the inner faces may still be undercured and tacky

If you want to mould in the jighead and hook easy to do with most of the moulds and you can re-inforce the jighead with alloy wire, I use an industrial superglue to secure the wire to the hook shaft to stop twist and pull out works very well. Applying 3D eyes is simply a case of using the superglue, they hold in well but inevitably they will get bashed around and pop out so if it’s your favourite catching lure just keep a few in your tackle box for quick repair.

Once you have de-moulded your lure and your session is finished, then give it a  good clean up and it’s worth washing the mould’s in hot soapy water to remove the release agent to stop it hardening, plus any surplus Superflex that has set on the mould, dry and store away. It is that easy and fun to do as you can experiment with colours and you can adjust your mix to make it softer or more action by using silicone oils but bear in mind to do this you will reduce the tear strength and increase the risk of the lures getting their Ass’s bitten off but now you make your own there are no tears on losing a more costly lure just salvage the jighead and make some more.

The first time you use the lures you have made and take a fish that is when the buzz kicks in and lure making can become addictive. The range of moulds in my collection suit most styles of fishing from the beach, rocks or boat and with the Superflex being far tougher than PVC or Plastisol lures it casts well too. New moulds are being added all the time as I’m addicted to making them and trying new designs out wrecking, reef or on the Bass.

I mentioned strength of the Supeflex well it’s been trialled out in Norway and has stood up to catching large Cod, Halibut, Coalfish and Haddock and caught many fish before the lure had to be retired plus as the silicone itself is food safe quality with no PVC nasties in there, the lures made with it don’t kill fish if they bite off tails and it passes through their system so very ECO friendly.

When sourcing jigheads for your lures I make quite a range and can advise on what’s best for each lure design and this is important in how the lure swims. If the jighead is too light the lure can take over and it’s action uncontrolled, too heavy and it may sink too quick and it’s into the reef or wreck to be lost. Hooks are important too as all angler know cheap hooks can fail at the wrong time so I use top of the range EagleClaw either 635 or 570HBP series tough strong lazer sharpened hooks and they have landed some very big fish and not let me down.

Below is an example of making your own lures the quick start images and video’s show the system and procedures and if you’re not sure the mould design will do what you want you can buy some samples to go fish with before you commit to the system so you get it right. Moulds are an investment and have years of life as they don’t deteriorate so can be sold on in the future if you decide lure making isn’t for you. No time to make your own no problem I make and sell my whole range so you can buy ready made and jigheads to suit as well.

Follow this link to my website SEABOOMS.COM and see what’s on offer and the easy to navigate site with plenty of images and video’s to see plus examples of finished lures to help you decide if lure making is for you BUT remember once you start it is ADDICTIVE and any advice needed contact me via my website. You will also see links to my YouTube channel were you can see tank test video and the lures in action at close range plus catch footage showing the lures in action taking some good fish.

Part one Introduction to the Superflex lure making system.

Part two Superflex DIY fishing lure making system step by step instructions